Touch Of Blue – Hank Mobley
Originally recorded as a five-horn arrangement with tuba on the bottom, this simple hard-bop swinger also works great featuring the bass making the exchanges with a melody instrument.
- Recording: Hank Mobley - A Slice Of The Top
- Recorded on: March 18, 1966
- Label: Blue Note/Liberty (LT 995)
- Concert Key: C minor
- Vocal Range: , to
- Style: Swing (medium up)
- Trumpet - Lee Morgan
- Euphonium - Kiane Zawadi
- Tuba - Howard Johnson
- Alto Sax - James Spaulding
- Tenor Sax - Hank Mobley
- Piano - McCoy Tyner
- Bass - Bob Cranshaw
- Drums - Billy Higgins
Video
- Description
- Historical Notes
- Solos
- Piano Corner
- Bass Corner
- Drum Corner
- Guitar Corner
- Inside & Beyond
- Minus You
The melody starts with a call and response, and the original five-horn recording sounds great with a Tuba playing the initial calls. With our Bass part, you'll see that it also works great in any small group setting: the bass makes the calls, and a front line instrument (or piano, in a trio setting) responds..
The B and C sections are a 16-measure bridge based on a pedal point on beats 2 and 4. In the solo form, there is a different set of hits on the "and" of beat 3 of each measure in the bridge
The B and C sections are a 16-measure bridge based on a pedal point on beats 2 and 4. In the solo form, there is a different set of hits on the "and" of beat 3 of each measure in the bridge
"A Slice Of The Top" was recorded at the legendary Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs.
from Don Sickler: I knew this song was originally copyrighted as A Touch of Blue, so I asked Michael Cuscuna if he would investigate to see when the title got changed to A Touch of the Blues, which is the way it appears on the recording. Michael looked in Alfred Lion's original log book and found it written down in Alfred's hand as A Touch Of Blue. Somewhere later down the line it was mistakenly changed to A Touch Of The Blues, a much more pedestrian title. From here on out, please use Hank's title: A Touch Of Blue.
Duke Person did the five-horn arrangements for this session.
from Don Sickler: I knew this song was originally copyrighted as A Touch of Blue, so I asked Michael Cuscuna if he would investigate to see when the title got changed to A Touch of the Blues, which is the way it appears on the recording. Michael looked in Alfred Lion's original log book and found it written down in Alfred's hand as A Touch Of Blue. Somewhere later down the line it was mistakenly changed to A Touch Of The Blues, a much more pedestrian title. From here on out, please use Hank's title: A Touch Of Blue.
Duke Person did the five-horn arrangements for this session.
The Bass part allows string bass to play the tuba part.
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Hank Mobley
July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986
Hank Mobley is one of the most acclaimed tenor saxophonists in modern jazz history. He is recognized by musicians and critics alike as one of the most important and eloquent jazz instrumentalists of all time. He recorded well over 100 of his own original compositions and left an indelible mark on the post-bop jazz scene. Read more...
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